Dynamic Suprematism
- Artist: Kazimir Malevich
- Date: 1915 or 1916
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 803 x 800 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Dynamic Suprematism” by Kazimir Malevich. Created in 1915 or 1916, the piece is a square canvas that bursts with colour and geometry. At its centre sits a pale‑blue triangle tilted slightly to the left, a bright yellow rectangle to the right, and a cream rectangle below, all arranged around the triangle’s three corners. These forms float against an off‑white background, creating a sense of dynamic space that was radical in the war‑torn, revolutionary context of early 20th‑century Russia.
Malevich abandoned figurative painting after his famous 1915 Black Square, turning instead to pure geometric abstraction. “Dynamic Suprematism” belongs to his series of works that moved from the static, black‑square statements to more vibrant, complex compositions. The title, often catalogued as “Supremus 57,” reflects the artist’s numbering system and his devotion to suprematist ideals—colour and shape expressed as independent, yet interdependent, forces.
The canvas was painted directly onto the surface, with no underdrawing, showing Malevich’s confidence in the immediacy of form. The work today serves as a snapshot of a pivotal moment when art and politics collided, and geometry became a language of modernity.
See it in person
Dynamic Suprematism is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
